New Passport procedure pullin stones!!!
A Passport ...... is a document ...... I always took for granted ...... to me .... it was just another 'document' dat yuh had tuh have ...... tuh travel ...... or tuh use as another form of ID ...... but ...... over the past couple years ...... my passport began to take on a new significance ...... I started to view it ..... as a passport tuh freedom ...... cuz wit de kinda crap dat goin orn in dis country ....... I realised that possession of such a document ...... was now critical to my safety ...... as it facilitated ...... flyin tuh hell outta here (or outta hell!) ...... if and when de shit wuz tuh hit de fan!!!
So ...... it is wit dat new mindset ...... dat I became a bit disturbed ...... when I found out dat ..... a friend of mine ....... didn't have no passport ..... and didn't give two hoots! ...... his passport expire ..... since some time last year ..... and he couldn't be bothered ...... fuh him ...... Tobago was still an option tuh escape to ....... and ..... is only after much harassin and naggin ..... by me ...... dat he finally decide tuh make de ..... dreaded passport appointment call.
Surprisingly ....... de call turned out OK ...... nothing like the horror stories we've been hearing ..... he wasted only about 10 minutes .... between dialing the number and actually speaking with someone ....... yuh know if dat was me ...... all next week so ...... I still tryin tuh get tru ..... anyway ...... he got his appointment for ...... MARCH 12, 2009 ....... no ....... yuh eh seein cokey eye ..... is really MARCH 12, 2009!!!
Now you realise ..... dat if he was ah SHE ....... he could make ah chile ........ before he get he passport!!! ..... he could even complete probation on ah new job ...... and get confirmed and promoted! ...... or he could even develop an addiction ....... 8 MONTHS! ...... 8 MONTHS tuh get ah passport in Trinidad and Tobago! ...... you know how much ting could happen in 8 MONTHS!!!
Right now ...... dey only dealin with wit first timers ...... expired ...... and people wit no more space fuh stamps ...... but ....... yuh do know ...... dat by de end of 2009 ...... EVERYBODY must have dey machine readable passport?! ....... so if it takin 8 months tuh get an appointment ....... is bess I call NOW too ...... cuz wha go happen when is all ah we runnin down new passport ....... in de same (ONE) year??!!! ..... clearly some of we eh go make de deadline!!! ..... and tuh go even further ....... wha go happen after de five years ...... when all ah we ..... first ..... new ..... machine readable passport 'expire' at de same time??!!!
Anyway ...... I'm sure you've read enuff ...... in de newspaper etc. ...... bout dis whole passport fiasco ...... so I won't bother tuh rant more ....... ah just wanted tuh let yuh know ..... dat if yuh want yuh appointment in POS ...... dey reach March 2009 ....... if yuh want it in Sangre Grande ..... dey reach February 2009 ....... and if yuh want it in Tobago ..... dey reach January 2009!!! ..... and ah read in de papers last week ...... dat a new immigration office suppose tuh open in Chaguanas soon ...... so who knows ..... when dat office open ...... maybe yuh might be able tuh get ah 2008 date!
FYI ..... look de procedure tuh apply ..... so start organisin yuhself from now ..... cuz all up in de passport drama .... is de new computer generated Birth Certificate drama too ...... so get crackin!
So ...... it is wit dat new mindset ...... dat I became a bit disturbed ...... when I found out dat ..... a friend of mine ....... didn't have no passport ..... and didn't give two hoots! ...... his passport expire ..... since some time last year ..... and he couldn't be bothered ...... fuh him ...... Tobago was still an option tuh escape to ....... and ..... is only after much harassin and naggin ..... by me ...... dat he finally decide tuh make de ..... dreaded passport appointment call.
Surprisingly ....... de call turned out OK ...... nothing like the horror stories we've been hearing ..... he wasted only about 10 minutes .... between dialing the number and actually speaking with someone ....... yuh know if dat was me ...... all next week so ...... I still tryin tuh get tru ..... anyway ...... he got his appointment for ...... MARCH 12, 2009 ....... no ....... yuh eh seein cokey eye ..... is really MARCH 12, 2009!!!
Now you realise ..... dat if he was ah SHE ....... he could make ah chile ........ before he get he passport!!! ..... he could even complete probation on ah new job ...... and get confirmed and promoted! ...... or he could even develop an addiction ....... 8 MONTHS! ...... 8 MONTHS tuh get ah passport in Trinidad and Tobago! ...... you know how much ting could happen in 8 MONTHS!!!
Right now ...... dey only dealin with wit first timers ...... expired ...... and people wit no more space fuh stamps ...... but ....... yuh do know ...... dat by de end of 2009 ...... EVERYBODY must have dey machine readable passport?! ....... so if it takin 8 months tuh get an appointment ....... is bess I call NOW too ...... cuz wha go happen when is all ah we runnin down new passport ....... in de same (ONE) year??!!! ..... clearly some of we eh go make de deadline!!! ..... and tuh go even further ....... wha go happen after de five years ...... when all ah we ..... first ..... new ..... machine readable passport 'expire' at de same time??!!!
Anyway ...... I'm sure you've read enuff ...... in de newspaper etc. ...... bout dis whole passport fiasco ...... so I won't bother tuh rant more ....... ah just wanted tuh let yuh know ..... dat if yuh want yuh appointment in POS ...... dey reach March 2009 ....... if yuh want it in Sangre Grande ..... dey reach February 2009 ....... and if yuh want it in Tobago ..... dey reach January 2009!!! ..... and ah read in de papers last week ...... dat a new immigration office suppose tuh open in Chaguanas soon ...... so who knows ..... when dat office open ...... maybe yuh might be able tuh get ah 2008 date!
FYI ..... look de procedure tuh apply ..... so start organisin yuhself from now ..... cuz all up in de passport drama .... is de new computer generated Birth Certificate drama too ...... so get crackin!
All I can say is..."Thank the Lord I did it last year"....that is a totally ridiculous situation!
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i went dwn tuh de office carnival friday 6 AM join de line, geh ah number @ 6:30 AM & dey seh tuh com back after 10:am so i cum back @ 11..... i did not leave dey till 3:30 PM..... ah fill out some form tuh pick up 6 weeks later... dah was torture....... & over here yuh go tuh de post office with all yuh docs... drop it off & dey mail it back tuh yuh within 30 days.......
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boy ..... an we govt preachin first world status by 2020 .... STEUPS!
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you know what else they don't tell you right. There are four offices but only ONE machine to issue the passports, so everybody ting still have to go to Port of Spain. Apparently some more "interventions" are planned but who knows.
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OMG ..... dis is one Mickey Mouse country we livin in yes! ..... you know what I study after ...... wha bout people who still have bout 5-6 years on dey current passport (like me) ...... would we have tuh pay AGAIN tuh get de new one? ...... and wha bout de US Visa in de current passport ...... yuh have tuh apply fuh ah new one ah dat too??
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jeez an ages!! well look at that my passport still valid for another 5 years too and that is where they reach on the appt list?? *sighs* and what about emergency cases? how d they deal with that one?? With regards to your valid visa being on your old passport, you have to carry your old passport with you when you're travelling. It's a bit of stress since you have to secure not one but two passports! This happen to my mom when we went to the us for xmas so dont tear out the page with your visa!
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Emergency cases? ...... I have no idea how they deal wit dat ...... I guess you have to prove your 'emergency' ..... and muzbe pay ah lil sumtin sumtin extra ...... I really doh know nah ...... but do tell if you find out .....
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Well at least they have dates in Trinidad. I went to the Trinidad Consulate here in Miami & they still giving extensions on expired passports and they don't even know when they going to be getting new passports. The woman at the front desk tell me to "check back in 6 months to see if we get them".
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Welcome to Vision 20/20. Last year, my husband and I stood up in line from 4:00 a.m. and, didn't leave the office until 3:00 p.m. If you think that was early, when we got there, people were already lined up from as early as 3:00 a.m. It was pressure but, I am happy that I took the jammin' back then.
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I find it's really ridiculous to have to wait so blasted long. One of the excellent things about North America. In Canada, you go to the passport office, online, and or mail it in. And from when they receive your forms the most it's 2 wks or so. Better yet, if you have a particular time to travel, you take your ticket with you pay an extra $50. dollars or so and get your passport before the day you are to travel. This whole year crapola for ah blasted appointment is total MADNESS!!
Go to Tobago!! lol
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This weekend ..... I found out a new twist tuh dis story ....... apparently after waiting 8 months for the interview ..... you have to wait another 2-3 months to receive the actual passport ......
Also ..... I understand that ...... no matter which office you select for your interview ...... there's only one machine dat can produce the machine readable passports ..... so yuh still have tuh go POS (as advised by Coffeewallah).
Two new immigration offices are due to open soon ...... Chaguanas and Point Fortin ...... so we'll see if that helps any!
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I thought I was the only idiot who wondered what going to happen when all the passports expire in the same year, I guess I will wonder that at 4am a morning 5 years from now ent?
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Ah trini staying in Asia. My current passport is valid till Sep.2010. Ah made an appointment over deh phone for my Machine Readable Passport (MRP); my appointment date given is in April 2011 in POS. Tell meh what yuh think ah should do from now till 2011 and yuh ah have to travel. Gosh man this is ridiculous. Any update on applying for an Emergency passport??
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Venice ...... Welcome tuh de scene
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Apply to your nearest Embassy, Venice.
I got my appointment in London in 2 weeks (called 3rd July 2009, got it for 16th July 2009).
Just make sure you have your computerised birth certificate or else, no luck. If you don't have that, it takes six months to get it thru the embassy, so you better tell relatives (parents ideally) collect it in Trinidad for you.
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